Solar spectral management for natural photosynthesis: from photonics designs to potential applications

Abstract

Photosynthesis is the most important biological process on Earth that converts solar energy to chemical energy (biomass) using sunlight as the sole energy source. The yield of photosynthesis is highly sensitive to the intensity and spectral components of light received by the photosynthetic organisms. Therefore, photon engineering has the potential to increase photosynthesis. Spectral conversion materials have been proposed for solar spectral management and widely investigated for photosynthesis by modifying the quality of light reaching the organisms since the 1990s. Such spectral conversion materials manage the photon spectrum of light by a photoconversion process, and a primary challenge faced by these materials is increasing their efficiencies. This review focuses on emerging spectral conversion materials for augmenting the photosynthesis of plants and microalgae, with a special emphasis on their fundamental design and potential applications in both greenhouse settings and microalgae cultivation systems. Finally, a discussion about the future perspectives in this field is made to overcome the remaining challenges.

Spectral-conversion film potential for greenhouses: Utility of green-to-red photons conversion and far-red filtration for plant growth

“…Ten random plants per species were selected from each treatment and replication and used for data collection on the following number of days after seed sow (rep 1, 2): lettuce (30,31) and tomato (28,27). The following data were collected in each plant of each species: leaf number, shoot fresh and dry mass [using an analytical balance (GX-1000; A&D Store, Inc., Wood Dale, IL)], and soil and plant analyzer development (SPAD) value, as an index of relative leaf chlorophyll concentration [using a portable chlorophyll meter (SPAD-502; Konica Minolta Sensing, Inc., Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan)].…”

“…First, some greenhouse covering materials partially block near-infrared (NIR, 700-1000 nm) to decrease the temperature rise inside the greenhouse, especially during the summer in warm climates [7,16,17,[25][26][27]. Second, several spectral conversion films (used for greenhouse covering materials and luminescent solar concentrators) convert G light into R light by using luminescent materials, including organic dyes and inorganic phosphors, which absorb G light and fluoresce it as R light [3,9,10,12,28].…”

Polymer and photo‐selective covers on plant and fruit development: A review

“…In order to improve the light-transmitting properties of polymer-based covers and crop yields, scientists have also proposed the use of luminescent photo-selective covers (Dieleman et al, 2004;Hemming et al, 2006;Pearson et al, 1995;Rodríguez et al, 2002;Shen & Yin, 2022). In contrast to the colored polymer-based covers described above, the focus of research into luminescent photo-selective covers is to ensure no reduction in overall photon count beyond that transmitted through clear polymer covers (Hebert et al, 2022).…”

“…QDs possess a greater separation of the absorbance and emission spectra, compared with organic PAHs, and will therefore lose less radiation by absorption. These losses may, however, be less of a problem within luminescent photo‐selective greenhouse covers than in LSCs, where the key is achieving emission over relatively short distances within the film in the forward direction rather than the much longer distances to PVs (Shen & Yin, 2022). While pilot studies deploying both QDs and PAHs fulfill many of the fundamental characteristics required of light‐shifting photo‐selective covers such as high photoluminescent quantum yield (Resch‐Genger et al., 2008), issues remain in transitioning this knowledge into horticultural practice.…”

Shape-controlled synthesis and self-assembly of highly uniform upconverting calcium fluoride nanocrystals

“…Lanthanide-based luminescent nanocrystals (NCs) offer immense potential in many emerging applications, such as biomedical imaging, 1,2 optical sensors, 3,4 spectral converters for photovoltaics 5,6 and agriculture, 7 and displays. 8 Lanthanides are f-block elements with partially-filled and well shielded f-orbitals.…”